I was on effexor about a yeat and a half ago. I had been on it for about a year. I broke out in hives with it. We ( my psychiatrist and I ) attributed it to the fact that I was under a trememdous amount of stress at work ..... my boss was the definition of "BITCH FROM HELL. Finally, When I had my breakdown ..... I saw a different doctor in the E. R. I had called the after hours number for the clinic where I was going ... and the on call therapist had said that "she didn't think I had an emergency .......... DUHHHHHHHHH..... the police took me into the Emergency room three hours later .... but it wasn't an emergency.

Back to the effexor. I started seeing a new therapist and doctor .... at a different clinic. The new psychiatrist immediately thought that I was allergic to the Effexor ..... I had been to dermatologist ... my regular doctor ... everywhere. The only bad thing was that I could not "Quit cold turkey" I was gradually taken off the effexor ... however it took 6 months all of it to get out of my system.

All I can say is that if you have an allergic reaction ...... you will itch like hell .... and none of the potions, ointments, salves, or antihistamines that the dermatologist will give you will help.

John

_________________________
From "Lion King" "The Circle of Life" with Lyrics

Michael,I take both effexor and resperdol. Ive been taking 300mg a day and i just last week started taking 1mg of resperdol twice a day. it made me sleepy at first - i couldnt wake up in the day. i'm over that now. overall, its helped. i havent been suicidal for a long time. which is really weird. how's it treatin you?

Peace,John___

_________________________
In the name of the Anger, and of the Sadness, and of the Unholy Fear. Amen.

I take 75 mg. of Effexor (time released). It's wonderful! I've become so productive. It has really reduced overall anxiety and ocd symptoms. I'm watching movies with the kids, doing home repairs, not isolating myself. I don't experience the depersonalization side effects Roy describes (that I can tell), not preoccupied with sex, but do experience delayed ejaculation. The pros far outweigh the cons.

I think it's worth noting that many, if not all, of us are diagnosable as either Complex or Prolonged PTSD as a result of our abuses and concomitant traumatic life experiences. A more accurate dx described as Diagnosis of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified PTSD will likely make it into the next Diagnostic and Statistic Manual V (DSMV). The point is that the organ that is employed in the processing of memory, feelings, thinking (i.e. the brain) is actually and physically impaired as a result of prolonged and repeated trauma and abuse. We are fortunate that there are drugs out there to help this organ function better by greasing the pathways. Think of it as insulin for the brain. It's a matter of getting the right pre>

The effexor time release pills seem to be helping...I know i have felt a little better the past few days, though i'm kind of dragging this afternoon, that may be because i had a tough time sleeping last night because i did not my resperdal. Resperdal has to be taken with contagen???? to prevent developing muscle ticks. The hospital gave me the resperdal, but no contagen (not sure of name or spelling), so i've not taken that until i get the pre>

I ramped into 300 MG Effexor time release. The effect has been nothing short of a miracle for me.

There were significant side effects for a couple of weeks. Night sweats and anxiety were hard for me, but ironically, once I got over that hump, the meds helped me IMMENSELY to cope with the hours-long anxiety attacks I was having. I used Ativan to get over that early anxiety. I have been on the Effexor for 3 years, and I have been productive, I have been myself, perhaps myself for the first time in many many years. I am certainly doing better in almost any measurable sense.

For approximately 9 months I have been taking Effexor XR. I am being treated for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD and a host of other shit not otherwise specified!(LOL). I am OK in my head most days, particularly when I get my own way, but my body became so depleted chemically that I crashed into a number of intense physical reactions due to the various stresses in my life such as work, marriage, life issues etc. Doc said the process was best described as a type of General Adaption Syndrome rising and crashing.

Great I'll have some GAD, a little GAS and a side order of PTSD for dinner; Oh bless me Doctor it has been several years since my last prostrate exam shall I now assume the position for desert?!!

A few years ago the AMA published research that indicated that Effexor, although primarily used to treat depression, also seemed to reduce the symptoms associated with anxiety disorders when used in an extended release dosage from 37 - 300 mg daily.

I began with 75 mg's per day. It reduced anxiety attacks and other physical symptoms, particularly with back up emergency doses of 1 mg Ativan PRN(as needed). As time went on I needed less PRN Ativan. Overall, Effexor took about 4 weeks to really kick in.

I had side effects such as headache, trouble sleeping, moderate loss of appetite, twitching in my feet and legs. I just told people I was tapping along to a tune in my head I couldn't get rid of.( LOL) Eventually symptoms abated, except for trouble sleeping. Doc gave me a very low dose of Amitriptyline(25mg) to take. I use it occasionally but not too much. The Amitrip gets me to sleep, particularly if taken 3 hrs before bed, but the next day I feel dragged out for a few hours after rising.

After a few months I began dealing with very intense issues at work as the government was reducing funding levels in the program I am responsible for. As a result, my body crashed again and I began having high anxiety stress related symptoms. Doc increased dose to 150 mg's per day. This dose seems right for me at this time.

Overall I have had a positive experience with this medication. It was a bitch at times to get used to taking but the side effects decreased steadily and are now managable. Obviously Effexor is not for every one but it has brought a benefit to me.

Medications that mitigate seritonin (sp) reuptake inhibition,(as well as working with other endorphin like chemicals),are kind of strange at times, at least for me. A few times when I lie down or close my eyes at certain times I can see light trails and little squiggles that move patternistically. I believe at times that perhaps they indicate that my neurological system is firing a little too well under the effect of Effexor. These interludes became noticable to me a few weeks after I started taking effexor. These occurances are not too distressing and are not like a "high" or a "trip".(!tarnation! [joke]).

Interestingly some research claims that the actual method of Effexor's chemical targeting process and over all functionality are not completely understood at this time. Who knows what else may happen. Perhaps I'll be "off" to see the wizard one day after taking Effexor for a long time. Well I sure hope the wiz also has a cure for abuse ! HaHa!

The best way I can describe the squiggles sensation is that it is like my computer. Sometimes the drive is quiet when it is working and sometimes it just chatters away to itself as internal stuff is going on. (I was hoping to get beamed up during one of these incidents but I am still here at home surrounded by a crew of very tricky Romulans; A wife, two daughters and a couple of female dogs who all see me as a hobby farm to be worked on regularly.)

I have been on 300mg of effexor xr for about 9 months now. Everything is going well. I had been on Zoloft, but it seemed to lose its effect. Before I started the Effexor, I was mostly scared to get out of bed and wanted to just stay there and hide. Now, I'm doing great (also going to counseling, though).

I've been on the effexor now for several weeks and think i am seeing some positive effects....like you hdan, getting out of bed was almost impossible for me at times....much of the time, i still long for hiding under the covers all day, but realize that is not good for me....

The risperdol has helped too by blocking those horrible dreams from my conscious memory, but if i fall back asleep after waking up once, they come back....so i guess waking up forces me to get out of bed or face the consequences...

i guess my counseling sessions have helped too by focusing on coping skills and life skills rather than dwelling on the abuse right now....but i know at some point, i'm going to have to face the abuse issues....well, i've always been very good at procrastinating......

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